1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to games and in particular to mechanical and electronic chess-like games wherein two players compete under the supervision of a referee.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present minaturized electronic revolution has been responsible for the appearance of numerous portable chess playing games whereas a single player competes with the electronic device in a game of chess (such as is described on pages 84 through 90 of "BYTE" magazine for December 1978, pages 110 through 115 of "BYTE" for January 1979 and pages 34 through 54 of "BYTE" for Sepember 1979).
Computer programs could be written to be executed on a general purpose computer to referee Kriegspiel games, but such computer systems require an expensive central processing unit, costly display apparatus (such as cathode ray tubes) and expensive input devices (such as terminals) for the operation of the game. Furthermore, the computer system, as commonly used for the game of chess does not represent the game pieces as 3 dimensional figures but instead as 2 dimensional figures on a cathode ray tube. Such general purpose computer systems have no provision for the detection of 3 dimensional game pieces so as to allow the players to conviently input moves by actually moving a game piece on the game board. Instead a player must input moves via a terminal keyboard or cathode ray tube probe.
However, the prior art does not disclose any portable electronic game to referee the game of Kriegspiel that consists of a relatively inexpensive central processing unit, together with input and output apparatus, and which allows the use and detection of actual 3 dimensional game pieces.